#13 (5.29 - 5.34): Fury from the Deep.

Maggie Harris (June Murphy) is menaced by
Mr. Oak and Mr. Quill (John Gill and Bill Burridge).

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 141 minutes. Written by: Victor Pemberton. Directed by: Hugh David. Produced by: Peter Bryant.


THE PLOT:

The TARDIS materializes near a Euro Sea Gas refinery, where the Doctor and his friends are quickly put under guard as potential saboteurs. All is not well at the refinery, which is steadily losing contact with its drilling rigs, even as the central line feeding gas from the rigs experiences an unexplained drop in output. Robson (Victor Maddern), the man in charge of the station, refuses to shut down the line to check for blockages, and ignores his experts when they advise him to do so.

The Doctor manages to gain the confidence of Robson's second-in-command, scientist Frank Harris (Roy Spencer). Investigating, he and his friends soon discover the cause of the gas drop. There is something in the line: Seaweed. Not normal seaweed, but a sentient life form, with the ability to take over the minds of those it comes in contact with. There are already workers at the refinery under its control - and as they lose communication with the other sea rigs, the Doctor comes to suspect that this malevolent force is preparing for a full-scale invasion!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: The seriousness of the situation is conveyed by the Doctor's own reaction to it. Starting in Episode Three, the Second Doctor's sillier side drops away almost completely, with him intently focused on the problem. At one point, he admits that he does not know how to proceed. Only in Episode Six, after he has figured out the solution, does his accustomed flippancy return.

The Second Doctor may be the most purely kind incarnation.  He observes Victoria's growing fear and her exhaustion at being afraid, and he realizes that she wants - maybe even needs - to stop traveling. When she seems reluctant to say so, he gently asks her if she wants to leave them. He also stops Jamie from pressuring her, telling him that Victoria must make that decision for herself. In every respect, he shows an understanding and maturity not always seen in the other incarnations.

Jamie: Remains absolutely protective of Victoria... which doesn't put him above teasing her. Before the story proper starts, Episode One features a wonderful family moment as the three play in the snow-like foam. As Victoria laughs at the Doctor's and Jamie's antics, the two exchange a glance, then pick her up and deposit her bodily into the substance. In Episode Three, as Jamie carefully bags a sample of seaweed for the Doctor, he pauses to tease Victoria with it, shaking the bag to create the illusion of movement. When Victoria begins to give voice to her fear and doubts, Jamie doesn't seem to truly comprehend - likely in part because he doesn't want to. Still, when she decides to leave, he is respectful of her decision, only showing his true level of upset once he is alone with the Doctor.

Victoria: Gets the best companion exit since Susan's. Victoria loves the Doctor and Jamie - they're her family, and potentially something more than that in Jamie's case. But being constantly under threat by monsters (who have a knack of regularly kidnapping her) has worn her down. The first two episodes see her behaving more or less as she normally does. But as the tension increases, she displays increasing unhappiness. "Every time we go anywhere, something awful happens!" she cries. "Why can't we go anywhere pleasant?" Deborah Watling's performance is her best of the series, and her entire farewell arc is startlingly well-scripted.

Robson/Harris: Somewhat reminiscent of The Ice Warriors, in that the two of them together would make for an ideal leader. Robson is mule-headed in his refusal to listen to anyone who contradicts him, but he does know his job - and the script wisely allows him to show it at one point, when he succeeds in preventing a gas explosion that others are certain will occur. Harris doesn't ignore inconvenient facts the way Robson does; but when he's actually put in charge in the later episodes, he lacks the ability to act decisively, with the Doctor and official Megan Jones (Margaret John) having to repeatedly talk him out of simply evacuating and leaving the refinery to the seaweed.

Oak and Quill: Seaweed can't convey the personality, or malice, of a human villain. That's where the seaweed-controlled Oak and Quill come in. Bill Burridge and John Gill make an intensely creepy pair; the old Tom Baker-narrated audio compared them to "Laurel and Hardy," but their presence is far too malevolent for that. The clip of the pair subduing Harris's wife, Maggie (June Murphy), still exists - ironically saved from oblivion by virtue of being cut by Australian censors. It's easy to see why the scene was snipped. The imagery evokes a sexual assault, from the way the two grin at their victim through to the close-ups of their opening mouths and the cutaways to Maggie's reactions as she struggles and collapses. I'd rank it as easily the most disturbing scene of Classic Who - and it would give much of the New Series a run for its money, too!

Victoria is attacked by seaweed in the animated version!

THOUGHTS:

"Doctor Who Versus the Killer Seeweed!" By all rights, this story should be either laughable, or tedious, or both. It's yet another base-under-siege story from a season that's arguably delivered a couple too many of them. It replicates the formula of the pig-headed base commander who refuses to listen to his advisors. The monster is seaweed. The way it's defeated... Well, I won't spoil it, but if I were to write it here it would sound silly on the face of it.

Fury from the Deep doesn't overcome these issues; rather, it transforms them into integral parts of the whole. Victor Pemberton's scripts weave each of these potentially silly components into a slow starting but steadily building thriller. The atmosphere is strong throughout, and comes through (and in places, is likely enhanced) in the animation as well. The entire serial is carefully structured, with elements that play major roles in the final two episodes carefully planted in the first two parts. Even the cliffhangers add to the atmosphere, with Episode Three's quietly eerie ending, as a possessed character walks out to sea, leaving viewers on a disquieting note.

Sadly, this is another missing story. Even in audio-only form, I found it to be one of Troughton's best, and it has long ranked near the top of my "Most Wished For" returns list. Well, it hasn't been found... But it has been animated, and quite well too. I'm happy that this story was held back until the animation team had time to hone their craft, because this is by far the best missing story animation to date. The Macra Terror and The Faceless Ones were effectively brought to life, but both stories had occasional moments that looked stiff or awkward. Those moments are all but nonexistent here. The animation team clearly realized that this story's effectiveness came from its atmosphere, making choices at every turn to build and enhance the sense of eeriness. Skewed camera angles, careful intercutting between events and pulsating bits of seaweed, and (in the color version) use of green hues all make this Earthbound tale feel decidedly otherworldly.

The battle with the seaweed ends with almost ten minutes left in the story. This allows multiple scenes to focus on Victoria's exit. Classic Doctor Who rarely focused on emotional exits; really, only Susan's, Victoria's, and Jo's spring to mind as receiving this level of focus. By reserving more than a third of the final episode to the departure, as well as building it throughout the preceding episodes, Fury from the Deep manages a strong, emotional finale, with the Doctor's and Jamie's final exchange closing it out perfectly.


Overall Rating: 10/10. I've changed my mind. The Power of the Daleks remains exceptional... But I would rank this as Troughton's finest story.

Previous Story: The Web of Fear
Next Story: The Wheel in Space



Review Index

#12 (5.23 - 5.28): The Web of Fear.

The Yeti invade the London Underground!

6 episodes. Running Time: Approx. 148 minutes. Written by: Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln. Directed by: Douglas Camfield. Produced by: Peter Bryant.


THE PLOT:

Professor Travers (Jack Watling) fears that he's brought on the end of the world.

It's been 40 years since his expedition to Tibet, and he has spent much of that time studying the control sphere he brought back with him. Now he has reactivated the sphere - only for it to reanimate a Yeti in a private collection in London! The city is evacuated as a web-like fungus spreads through the London Underground. Travers and his scientist daughter, Anne (Tina Packer), consult with the military to try to defeat the Yeti and their fungus, but the situation looks increasingly grim.

The Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria materialize in the Underground. They are brought to the military command, in a World War II shelter, even as it is taken over by a new CO, Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). As the Doctor studies the fungus and works with the control sphere, Lethbridge-Stewart plans a risky retrieval of the TARDIS, which has been trapped behind the web.

But as their every move is anticipated and countered, they realize there is only one explanation: One among their number must be working with the Great Intelligence!


CHARACTERS:

The Doctor: Remains calm, but his accustomed joviality is largely absent. He knows right away how serious this situation is, and he focuses all his efforts on solving it. He establishes a particularly strong rapport with Anne Travers, who in some respects acts more as his companion in this story than Jamie and Victoria do, assisting him with work on the control sphere even as time runs out.

Jamie: His protectiveness of Victoria and the Doctor is on full display. He spends much of the story's first half searching for the Doctor, after he and Victoria get separated from him early on. When he meets up with the cowardly Evans (Derek Pollitt), Jamie firmly takes charge as they evade the spreading foam. He may not understand the modern world (a well-scripted bit has him potentially electrocuting himself on the Underground rails, simply because he isn't aware of the danger), but he recalls the events in Tibet and is prepared to smash the Intelligence's control pyramid on sight.

Victoria: When Jamie is in the tunnels, Victoria's concern for Jamie is every bit as strong as his usually is for her. That worry leads her to unwisely let the existence of the TARDIS slip to annoying journalist Chorley (Jon Rollason) - who is among the Doctor's prime suspects for being the Intelligence's accomplice. Even so, she remains more resourceful than her reputation. When she is (inevitably) captured late in the story, she drops her handkerchief so that the others will be able to follow her trail.

Professor Travers/Anne: Jack Watling returns as Professor Travers, now an old man. Watling is amusing as the elderly Travers, who is snappish and brusque with everybody except his daughter, though the character gets less of interest to do here than in his first appearance. Anne is a welcome addition. She is genuinely useful while assisting the Doctor, and she shares her father's impatience with those she deems fools. She memorably shuts down a soldier's leering comment about a pretty young woman in her profession: "When I was a little girl, I thought I'd like to be a scientist. So I became a scientist.". She is even more acerbic with Chorley, whom she dubs a member of "the gutter press... a sensationalizer." Tina Packer is terrific in the role, registering strongly even when she's reduced to a more or less generic assistant in the later episodes.

Col. Lethbridge-Stewart: Is introduced in (the still-missing) Episode Three, and is initially framed as a figure of suspicion. As he himself observes when taking command from the beleaguered Captain Knight (Ralph Watson), the other soldiers actually know more about the Doctor at this point than they do about him. Nevertheless, he instantly sets to work organizing his new command, arranging for briefings to get both himself and the Doctor up to speed while engaging in some judicious flattery to keep Chorley out of the way. His unflappability is put to the test in the latter half of the story, as he leads a direct engagement with the Yeti. Courtney plays the aftermath particularly well, as a visibly shaken Lethbridge-Stewart repeats, "Can't fight them" multiple times even as he tries to regain his former poise.


THOUGHTS:

Recovered (save for Episode Three) alongside The Enemy of the World in 2013, The Web of Fear has long been hailed as one of the best Troughton stories. Certainly, it ticks a lot of boxes: The return of the Yeti, upgraded to a less cuddly design; production values that are well above the series' standard, so convincingly recreating the London Underground that the BBC had to fend off accusations that they had shot there illegally; and the introduction of fan favorite Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.

For all of that, I have to confess that I don't enjoy it as much as the Yetis' introductory story. The pace lags in the middle episodes. For all that many fans are upset that the Doctor's first meeting with Lethbridge-Stewart remains missing... If I had to pick an episode to be gone, I would actually select that one, as you could just about summarize it in a single sentence: "Col. Lethbridge-Stewart arrives."  For that matter, the story could be tightened by simply eliminating the Capt. Knight character and putting Lethbridge-Stewart in charge from the start; it wouldn't make any particular difference story-wise.

Still, divorcing this story from its reputation and simply looking at it as another serial, it is definitely a good one.  Douglas Camfield directs with his usual precision, and the recreation of the London Underground is strikingly well done, particularly in the first two episodes. Performances are good across the board, with most of the characters having distinct personalities. Much of the dialogue is sharp, particularly the scenes involving either Anne or Evans. Nicholas Courtney's Lethbridge-Stewart makes an immediate impression, and Episode Four gets a boost from a genuinely well-shot and sharply-edited set piece that sees his soldiers ambushed by the Yeti.

Finally, I quite like the ending, in which the Doctor's hope to permanently defeat the Great Intelligence is thwarted by... His own allies, who aren't in on the plan and so act according to what they know. Nor can they be blamed - If they stand around and do nothing, so far as they know, the Great Intelligence will take over the world.

Ultimately, The Web of Fear is extremely well-made with a good guest cast, and the introduction of Lethbridge-Stewart makes it a critical piece of the series' history. It will never rank among my favorites... But I'd still give it high marks overall.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Story: The Enemy of the World
Next Story: Fury from the Deep



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#10 (5.11 - 5.16): The Ice Warriors.

The Doctor's attempt to negotiate doesn't go well...

6 episodes Approx. 147 minutes. Written by: Brian Hayles. Directed by: Derek Martinus. Produced by: Innes Lloyd.


THE PLOT

The TARDIS materializes in a future in which advancing glaciers threaten to create a new Ice Age. Humanity is keeping the ice at bay through a network of stations using Ionisers to melt the ice and halt its advance. But at Brittanicus Base, all is not well. The chief scientist, Penley (Peter Sallis), has left the project over disputes with its leader, Clent (Peter Barkworth), and Clent lacks the expertise to keep the machine working properly. If the base fails, the entire worldwide effort will be doomed.

Which makes the timing less than ideal when would-be archaeologist Arden (George Waring) discovers a warrior encased in ice. He believes he has found a preserved Viking corpse - but when he returns it to the base and begins thawing it, the scientists discover that it is actually an alien, an Ice Warrior from the planet Mars. The warrior, named Varga (Bernard Bresslaw) has been trapped in the ice for centuries, but he is alive - As is his crew!

Varga takes Victoria hostage and retreats back to his ship, along with equipment to wake up the others.  Soon, the Warriors and the scientists find themselves in a stalemate. Varga cannot escape Earth without mercury within the base, and the scientists don't dare use the Ioniser for fear that it might ignite the ship's engines and cause a nuclear catastrophe. The Doctor hopes to solve this through negotiation. Varga has another solution: Total annihilation!


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: Though his disdainful reaction to "the great computer" ties in with the technophobic themes of much of the story, he isn't idiotically opposed to technology. He acknowledges the computer as a useful tool, even urging Clent to use it to verify his own expertise in the first episode. But he hates having his judgment made subservient to the machine's. When he leaves the base to confront the Ice Warriors, he expresses hope of being able to reason with them, despite the violence they've already inflicted. Even so, his optimism doesn't stop him from preparing a surprise for his own self-defense. He's hopeful that the aliens will be reasonable, but he's ready for them to be monsters.

Jamie: His attraction to Victoria is made explicit late in Episode One. He responds appreciatively to the revealing outfits of the women in the base, and idly asks Victoria if she would ever consider dressing like that - almost certainly baiting the proper young woman to get the exact reaction he does. When she is kidnapped by Varga, he insists that he has to go after her, not even pretending to listen to Clent's insistence that she is a lesser priority to their main task.

Victoria: Her reputation as a mindless screamer continues to be largely undeserved. Not that she doesn't scream - But as in Tomb of the Cybermen, she does so as a tactic as often as not, as when she screams during an escape attempt through an ice cave in order to bring the ice crashing down on a pursuer. She is certainly frightened, but she responds to a terrifying situation with courage.

Penley: This is a story that has aged less well than some of its counterparts.  In a decade where individualism was clearly seen as the greatest virtue, it is clear that we are meant to see Penley as the most admirable guest character... However, Clent is quite right when he accuses him of being a moral coward. On an assignment whose failure would spell the deaths of millions, Penley abandons his post - To all appearances, for no reason other than a bruised ego!  When this is directly pointed out to him, he effectively says that it's not his problem.  Our guest hero, ladies and gentlemen!

Clent: That said, Brian Hayles' script refreshingly avoids turning Clent into a one-dimensional cartoon character.  He is an overbearing ass, but he's given several moments that show that he's not only that. In Episode Four, he tries to be conciliatory toward Arden, who is blaming himself for having brought the Ice Warrior back to the base. His manner is awkward and halting, showing his unease at giving compliments or lending comfort. But he makes the effort, and that and similar moments make him a far fuller character than might have been the case.

Ice Warriors: The costume may have been notoriously uncomfortable (and it looks it!), but it's visually striking and the slow movements of the warriors make them feel genuinely alien. As in The Power of the Daleks, the story gains mileage from putting the antagonists in a position of weakness. If Clent and his scientists succeed in melting the ice, then the warriors have no hope of escaping Earth, which puts them in a desperate situation from the moment they wake. It doesn't make them less malevolent, and it's made clear early on that they kill ruthlessly when there is no actual need to do so... But their desperation makes their motives plausible, and creates a parallel with the similar desperation of the humans.


THOUGHTS

The Ice Warriors is unmistakably Sixties, from the outfits worn by the scientists in the base to the ridiculously technophobic themes running through the narrative. It so unapologetically a sixties artifact that it's actually rather charming.

It's a decent story, but not as good as the ones preceding it. The first four episodes do a solid job of establishing the different threads.  The advancing glaciers, the Ice Warriors themselves, and Penley's retreat from his duties complement each other even as these strands converge. It takes a little too much time to do it, though.  A subplot with Penley's scavenger friend, the almost fanatically anti-scientist Storr (Angus Lennie), doesn't particularly advance the story, and largely just repeats themes that were better established elsewhere.  There are far too many scenes of Clent deferring to the computer (we got the point in the first episode, thanks).  All of this results in the feel of a good four parter than has been stretched to fill six parts.

There's also at least one genuinely great scene. On learning that the Ionizer can, at full power, melt rock, the Ice Warriors exult about its power as a weapon. The scientists protest that it is no weapon, but a tool. "I see it differently," the warlike alien replies. And at the end, Penley proves the Warriors correct precisely by using the machine as a weapon, exultantly declaring that the Ionizer "can destroy rock" as he turns it against the enemy.  Is it a tool?  Is it a weapon?  Depending on its application, it is clear that it can be both.

Victoria is captured by an Ice Warrior!

THE MISSING EPISODES

Episodes Two and Three of The Ice Warriors were among the earlier missing episode animations. They are not as effective as many of the later efforts, with limited animation and often blocky movements.  Still, it's good enough to allow the visual element for the missing episodes, complete with some enjoyable bits of physical business from the Doctor. That it looks primitive next to more recent efforts does not change how grateful I am that the BBC chose to start down the road of animation.  Without this and The Reign of Terror, we would never have gotten to far more accomplished presentations such as The Macra Terror.

Overall, The Ice Warriors is very much an artifact of its time. Time hasn't touched the basic storytelling of The Tomb of the Cybermen and The Abominable Snowmen, both of which still compel; but this story has to be viewed in part through the lens of the late 1960s. With that in mind, it remains a good "B" science fiction piece, even if it doesn't rise to the heights of its immediate predecessors.


Overall Rating: 6/10.

Previous Story: The Abominable Snowmen
Next Story: The Enemy of the World


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#9 (5.5 - 5.10): The Abominable Snowmen.

The Doctor conducts an autopsy on
a Yeti - with surprising results.

6 episodes. Approx. 142 minutes. Written by: Mervyn Haisman, Henry Lincoln. Directed by: Gerald Blake. Produced by: Innes Lloyd.


THE PLOT

The Doctor is delighted when the TARDIS materializes in 1930s Tibet, near the Detsen Monastery. It's a place he has visited before, and he is certain that he and his companions will receive "the welcome of a lifetime."

What he discovers is anything but. The monastery is under siege by Yeti, timid creatures who have suddenly turned savage. Khrisong (Norman Jones), the warrior monk responsible for defending the monastery, suspects the Doctor is responsible. His suspicions are fueled by an English visitor, Professor Travers (Jack Watling), who worries that the Doctor is a newspaperman out to steal the credit for his discovery of the Yeti.

The Abbott, Songsten (Charles Morgan), appears genial and friendly, but he disappears regularly, in conversation with the ancient Master Padmasambhava (Wolfe Morris). The Master is being sustained by a Great Intelligence, using him and his monks to gain corporeal form. As the Intelligence gains form, it expands - with the potential to wipe out all life on Earth!


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: As soon as he comes across the corpse of Travers' assistant, he becomes protective of his companions. He does not tell them about finding the body, and has them wait in the TARDIS while he investigates. He refuses to blame any of the monks for their suspicions, telling Jamie that Khrisong is doing his duty as he sees it, and that Songsten and Padmasambhava are not enemies but victims of the Great Intelligence. He never looks on his old friend Padmasambhava as a villain or monster, and there is genuine sadness in his voice when he bids him farewell after "freeing" him at the end.

Jamie: His pride makes him refuse to change out of his kilt for the weather on the Himalayas, insisting that as a highlander he's immune to the cold. Apparently, the TARDIS' magical properties must include frostbite protection, since his bout of stubbornness should end in amputation. His resourcefulness shows itself when he comes up with a plan to trap one of the Yeti so that the Doctor can study it. The Doctor's nature is rubbing off on him, as well, as shown by his insistence when the monks turn on one of their own that "there's been enough killing!"

Victoria: Is irritated when the Doctor doesn't allow her to accompany him to the monastery. When she and Jamie find their way there anyway, she insists on making her way to Padmasambhava's sanctum, even after the monks repeatedly tell her that it's forbidden. Her willful behavior sees her briefly labeled a "devil woman," with some of the monks deciding she must be responsible for the Yeti attacks! Deborah Watling remains likable, making Victoria's reckless curiosity mostly charming when it might easily have been irritating.


THOUGHTS

Of the 6-part The Abominable Snowmen, only Episode Two remains - Which is a shame, because that episode shows a story directed with real visual style. Sure, the Yeti look a little too much like walking teddy bears to be a convincing threat, but the scenes inside the monastery carry a surprising amount of atmosphere - particularly the scenes involving the Abbott in conversation with Padmasambhava. The 23 minutes of this episode pass in an eyeblink, leaving me actively frustrated at returning to the (excellent) BBC audio release for the rest. The story's good to listen to - But I would love to watch it!

Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln's first script for the series is wonderfully-constructed. The first three episodes are all about raising mysteries, with each discovery opening up more questions for the heroes and the viewers. When the second half begins delivering answers, they are parceled out at a gradual pace, with many of those answers coming with complications of their own.

The reveal of Padmasambhava is masterful. Through the first half of the story, he is just a voice, and the sound of his voice clearly frightens young monk Thonmi (David Spenser) when he hears it. Victoria becomes obsessed with making her way to the old Master's forbidden sanctum, and Thonmi's reaction makes clear that she's breaking a sacred rule. By the time Padmasamhava is revealed visually at the end of Episode Four, he has become such a presence that the mere sight of him makes for the serial's strongest cliffhanger.

Admittedly, there's not much competition for "strongest cliffhanger." The story is excellent, but it appears to have been devised as a single unit.  Most of the cliffhangers feel arbitrary, rather than an inherent part of the structure. If this were ever found, it might be the rare Who story to play better in a movie format than episodically.

But that is a minor complaint, and barely detracts from the whole. The Abominable Snowmen is engrossing, atmospheric, and thoroughly enjoyable. A personal favorite of mine since my first listen to the BBC Audio release, revisiting it for these reviews was a pure pleasure.


Overall Rating: 9/10.

Previous Story: The Tomb of the Cybermen
Next Story: The Ice Warriors


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#8 (5.1 - 5.4): The Tomb of the Cybermen.

The Doctor is trapped by the Cybermen!

4 episodes. Approx. 97 minutes. Written by: Kit Pedler, Gerry Davis. Produced by: Peter Bryant. Directed by: Morris Barry.


THE PLOT

THe TARDIS arrives on the planet Telos just in time for the Doctor to witness an archaeological team uncover the entrance to the Tomb of the Cybermen. Professor Parry (Aubrey Richards), the expedition's leader, explains that they have come to find out why the Cybermen died out. But the Doctor worries that the tomb is a little too accessible, and that the entire edifice is an elaborate trap.

Inside, they discover a control room but no Cybermen. They do find a hatch to an area below, which logicians Eric Klieg (George Pastell) and Kaftan (Shirley Cooklin), who funded the expedition, believe must lead to the actual tomb. With a nudge or two from the Doctor, they are able to open it, and the group makes its way underground.

Where they find the Cybermen waiting in stasis - Dormant, but very much alive. Which is exactly what someone in their ranks was hoping for...


CHARACTERS

The Doctor: From the moment the Doctor hears the word "Cybermen," he decides he has to stay until he is able to make sure they will not reawaken. He's shrewd in how he goes about this. He doesn't step forward and take charge - Instead, he nudges the egotistical Klieg into figuring out how to turn on the power to the complex, then surreptitiously opens the hatch leading to the tomb. There's also a wonderful scene, a quiet character moment in the second half, in which the Doctor talks to Victoria about her father's death. He tells her that the pain will fade, and talks briefly about his own family and how he can let them sleep in his mind except when he actually wants to remember them.

Victoria: Her first proper story as a companion. Though Victoria's reputation in fan circles is very much that of a "screamer," she does show intelligence. When held at gunpoint in Episode Three, for example, Victoria glances at a dormant Cybermat and screams - distracting her assailant's attention long enough for Capt. Hopper (George Roubicek) to disarm her. Later, when most of the party has been locked in another room, Victoria is able to bluff her captors into believing that it's at least possible that the others may have a Cyber-weapon at their disposal. Deborah Watling is appealing throughout, able to sell that she's a character from a 19th century background even while taking part in this futuristic adventure.

Jamie: Patrick Troughton and Frazer Hines put in some wonderful bits of business that make their interaction special. When first entering the tomb, the Doctor and Jamie catch themselves holding hands and, in mutual surprise, all but throw their hands away from each other. At the start of Episode Two, when the Doctor is testing a control sequence that has just killed one member of the party, he advises that anyone who wishes to leave may. He then immediately adds, "Not you, Jamie," as the Scotsman prepares to make his exit. The result of these throwaway moments is a relationship that feels authentic, which I suspect is why this particular team is so well remembered a good 50 years after the fact.

Cybermen: "We will survive..." The early Cybermen stories work in a way that later ones often didn't, precisely because their goal is as simple as survival. Humanity is simultaneously a threat to their existence and a potential farm for them to create new Cybermen. Their attacks on humanity are motivated by their own urge to survive and reproduce - which ultimately amounts to the same thing. The story pauses to weave the Season Four Cybermen stories together, creating cohesive links between The Tenth Planet, The Moonbase, and this. The result is that, at this point in the series run, the Cybermen have a coherent, cohesive mythology... Though that wouldn't last for much longer!


THOUGHTS

For a long time, The Tomb of the Cybermen was among the many missing stories of the Second Doctor's era. The BBC even prepared an audio release, with narration by Jon Pertwee - a release that was rendered instantly obsolete by the 1991 recovery of a complete copy. Until the 2013 recovery of The Enemy of the World, it was the only complete serial from Season Five; it remains the earliest complete story of Patrick Troughton's era.

Bizarrely, its recovery led to a negative re-evaluation. During the time it was lost, the reputation of its visual element - particularly the scene in which the Cybermen break free of their tombs - was magnified to the point that many (rather unreasonably) expected it to have the production values of a feature film. When it was discovered that the serial had the usual hallmarks of the series' low budget, including a wobbly tomb door and a visible wire on a man meant to be held in mid-air by a Cyberman, some fans griped that being found was the worst thing that could have happened.

Thankfully, that balderdash has long since receded, and most seem to again recognize the story for the classic it is. Sure, it's low-budget. It is also imaginatively-produced and tightly-scripted - One of the Troughton era's highlights, and in my opinion the best Classic Series Cyberman story.

Though certainly exemplifying the "base-under-siege" format so popular in the Troughton era, it also anticipates the Hinchcliffe/Holmes formula. A team of archaeologists and their shady (conveniently foreign-accented) financial backers enter a booby-trapped tomb, only to be preyed upon by monsters... It's the Doctor Who version of The Mummy, and all the better for it.

Holding the Cybermen back until the midpoint of the story proves to be a good choice. The first two episodes build atmosphere and explore the tensions and mixed agendas among the group. Three members of the party die before the Cybermen awaken, two thanks to the various traps within the tomb, and one more thanks to treachery. The Cybermen themselves are viewed by the human villains as tools to be exploited - much the way the various human factions in Power of the Daleks viewed those creatures.  As was true of the Daleks in that story, the Cybermen here view the human villains no differently than the rest of the group, which reinforces how alien they are.

Contained to a briskly-paced four episodes, and peppered with effective suspense and good character bits, The Tomb of the Cybermen is one of the easiest Sixties stories to watch in a single sitting. Sure, its age and budget show - But it remains wonderfully entertaining, and is a story I have no hesitation dubbing a "must-see."


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Story: The Evil of the Daleks
Next Story: The Abominable Snowmen


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#7 (4.37 - 4.43): The Evil of the Daleks.

The Doctor is made a pawn of his oldest enemy...

7 episodes. Approx. 163 minutes. Written by: David Whitaker. Directed by: Derek Martinus. Produced by: Innes Lloyd.

THE PLOT

The Chameleons have been defeated and Ben and Polly have returned to their lives, but the Doctor's and Jamie's problems are far from over. The TARDIS has been stolen from Gatwick Airport, with just enough clues left behind to lead the pair to Edward Waterfield (John Bailey), a mysterious dealer in Victorian style antiques. The Doctor is startled to find that Waterfield's antiques are all completely new - yet at the same time, completely genuine.

The antique shop is a trap, and the Doctor and Jamie soon find themselves transported back in time to 1866. It is here that they are properly introduced to Waterfield, who is actually a 19th century scientist, is in the employ of Theodore Maxtible (Marius Goring), a man who dreams of turning lead into gold. Waterfield's daughter, Victoria (Deborah Watling), has been kidnapped by an evil force that has taken control of Maxtible's estate and has forced them to lay this trap for the Doctor.

The Daleks have returned. And this time, their agenda may just mean the end for the entire human race!

CHARACTERS

The Doctor: "I am a professor of a far wider discipline, of which human nature is merely a part!" Many facets of the Doctor are seen in this story, with both his compassion and his manipulative side shown strongly. Though initially insistent on informing Jamie of the plan to use him in the Daleks' tests, he is ultimately very willing to manipulate his companion into participating. He manipulates the Daleks, too, recognizing that giving them what they want will fundamentally change them. This larger good is exemplified in the Daleks implanted with "the human factor," in whose childlike nature he delights. Still, he is ready for the Daleks' inevitable betrayal, as shown by his reflections midway through the story that the destruction of "an entire species" may well be what this encounter ends up coming to. Given such meaty material, Patrick Troughton rises to his best performance in the role to date - and given how good he already has been, that is quite a feat.

Jamie: The Doctor/Jamie team continues to delight in the first two episodes. Episode Two's survival allows us to glimpse some of the nonverbal, likely unscripted interplay between the two, as Jamie nearly knocks over objects in Waterfield's shop only to catch them as the Doctor shushes him. Jamie really comes into his own in the middle episodes, though, as he is left to carry the bulk of the action during the attempted rescue of Victoria. For the bulk of Episodes 3 - 5, Jamie is left to his own devices, and he shows himself as very capable. Ingenuity and instinct allow him to circumvent multiple traps, while an act of compassion toward the mute but deadly Kemel (Sonny Caldinez) turns an enemy into an ally.

Victoria: In her introductory story, Victoria gets little to do. Episodes 2 - 4 feature her in only one to two scenes a piece, largely as a bit of pretty bait to lure Jamie into the Daleks' test. The later episodes allow her a bit more character material, and Victoria's contempt for Maxtible's actions at the end is a particularly strong scene. Deborah Watling does give an appealing performance, and she already shows good rapport with Frazer Hines which the following season would capitalize on.

Daleks: This story introduces a bit of Dalek lore that would be revisited by the new series: The Dalek Emperor. A massive but immobile construct, the Emperor towers over the other Daleks, issuing commands and dictates. Given the almost web-like design of the Dalek city and the way he has the Doctor brought to him, unveiling the TARDIS as a lure, the image evoked is very much that of a fat spider lurking at the center of a spiderweb. This story also introduces the idea that if compassion and other human qualities were introduced to the mix, then the Daleks would not have to be evil - a notion that would laer inform the Doctor's actions in Genesis of the Daleks,where it was clear that he preferred to influence the Daleks to have compassion as part of their makeup rather than to destroy them outright.

THOUGHTS

The Evil of the Daleks was the last viewers would see of Terry Nation's sci-fi fascists until Season Nine. At the time, with Nation attempting to shop a Dalek television series in the United States, it was scripted as a "final" story for them. As such, writer David whitaker, who had done so well by the monsters in The Power of the Daleks (Troughton's debut), returned to the writer's desk to deliver another multi-layered take, this time with a more epic feel.

Going from The Faceless Ones to this is seamless in continuity terms, the start of this story picking up directly from the end of that one. Episode One is largely transitional, moving us from the previous story into this one, complete with references to the Chameleons and the Commandant. However, it is almost jarring how much stronger the writing quality is. The dialogue is sharper, the characters feel more complete. As much as I enjoyed The Faceless Ones, it's instantly apparent that this drama is on a higher level all around.

In this first episode, we meet four guest characters who are each distinct. Waterfield, Kennedy, Perry, and Hall are working together to ensnare the Doctor, but each has his own view of the events and each has his own agenda. The honest and fussy Perry is kept in the dark, simply used to run errands. The thug-like Hall is used to arouse the Doctor's suspicions. Crafty Kennedy follows his orders but also keeps an eye out for something he can use to his own benefit. Waterfield appears to be in charge... until late in the episode, when we see him pleading with his unseen masters. Of these four characters, only Waterfield is significant. Still, even these minor roles have a texture and life.

It's no surprise that this carries over to the major characters we meet in later episodes. Waterfield and Maxtible are initially presented as allies. Even in Episode Two, however, when we first meet him, it's clear that Maxtible is far more callous than Waterfield. By the end of Episode Four, he's emerged as a villain in his own right, obsessed with the power he can gain through the Daleks. He exults to his horrified daughter, Ruth (Brigit Forsyth):

"To possess such a secret would mean power and influence beyond all imagination. And I am about to discover this secret. Nothing will stop me. Nothing! Nobody!"

Change just a few words around, and this could just as easily come out of the mouth of Davros...

The quality does dip very slightly near the end. The overly-elaborate plan involving "the Dalek factor" is the stuff of "B" sci-fi serials of the 1930's. The final episode also sees the Doctor escape a Dalek trap on the grounds of not being from Earth - despite the same trap working just fine on the equally non-Earthborn Daleks. A bit of lazy handwaving around an inconvenient spot in the plot. These things have me ranking this just a bit below Whitaker's more tightly-plotted Power of the Daleks.

Still, with splendid production values (very evident in the surviving episode) and a pace that never flags across seven wonderfully entertaining installments, this has to rank as a triumph. A few lapses near the end don't stop this from being one of the best-made stories of the show's entire black & white era.

Overall Rating: 10/10.

The Evil of the Daleks Missing Episode Notes

Previous Story: The Faceless Ones
Next Story: The Tomb of the Cybermen 

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